This invention relates to movable bed assemblies, primarily for use in limited space facilities such as travel trailers.
Various arrangements have been proposed heretofore for shifting beds from a stored overhead position where the bed is out of the way, to a lower position where the bed is to be used for sleeping. Representative prior art arrangements of this type are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,231,114B1, 3,266,062, 3,623,168, and 3,829,907.
However, these prior proposed arrangements have significant shortcomings in that they may be unduly complicated, inconvenient to use, or may require considerable care by the user to avoid possible injury.
Accordingly, objects of the invention include simplicity, convenience, and design safety so that the bed may be easily raised and lowered without danger of injury to the user.
In one exemplary embodiment illustrating the principles of the invention, a travel trailer includes a bed mounted at one end of said trailer with the rear of the bed mounted against one side wall of said trailer, and sides of the bed being adjacent the two side walls of the trailer. The bed may include a mattress and a frame; and the rear of the frame is mounted on two substantially vertical rear guides. Toward the front of the bed frame, linkages are provided which slidably engage swing arms to permit lowering and raising of the bed. The swing arms are pivotally mounted to the sides of the trailer, and have lower end points which arrest downward movement of the front of the bed frame. Resilient counterbalancing arrangements are provided, which are compressed when the bed is shifted to its lower position, and which assist in shifting the bed and frame to its upper stored position.
The counterbalancing arrangements may involve compressed air or gas, or elongated springs; and may be combined with the slides and swing arms, or may be separate therefrom.
The swing arms may include front guides; and the linkages mounted near the corners of the bed frame may each have a pair of rollers which are trapped within the guides.
The storable bed assembly may also be employed in other applications, including other recreational vehicle applications such as motor homes or campers.
The counterbalancing arrangements may be in the form of gas springs, or coil springs, for examples.
Advantages of the invention include improved safety and convenience in lowering and raising the bed. For example, the front of the bed may be provided with a handle to pull the front of the bed down; and then pressing on the surface of the bed will lower the back of the bed so that it is in the lower sleeping configuration.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detail description and the accompanying drawings.